CH 241B Organic Chemistry Lab 1

Lab Hours: 3
Credits: 1

Accompanies CH 241 Organic Chemistry 1 as a laboratory for students majoring in the physical or life sciences. Emphasizes microscale laboratory experiments related to basic techniques of recrystallization, extraction, melting and boiling point determination, IR spectroscopy, extraction, chromatography, and synthesis. Students requiring lecture and lab credit for transfer must take CH 241 and CH 241B.

Prerequisite: Placement into WR 115 (or higher), or completion of WR 090 (or higher); and completion of CH 123 or CH 223; or consent of instructor. (All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.)
Corequisite: CH 241.
Student Learning Outcomes:

Use acid-base theories to evaluate organic reactions and predict their outcomes.
Explain the relationship between the structure of organic compounds and their subsequent physical and chemical properties.
Keep an accurate laboratory notebook.
Translate the principle of organic chemistry into practical use in the organic laboratory.
Describe the structure, properties, nomenclature, synthesis and reactions of alkanes, alkenes, alkyl halides and alkynes.
Clarify Sn1, Sn2, E1, and E2 reaction mechanisms using principles of stereochemistry.

Content Outline

The Organic Laboratory
- Safety
- Equipment and check-in
- Notebook
- Waste disposal
Crystallization
- The seven steps of crystallization
- Purification of an unknown by crystallization
Distillation
- Vapor pressure-temperature curves
- Azeotropes
- Construction of a gas-liquid phase diagram
- Analysis of unknowns by their melting points
- Boiling points
- Analysis of unknowns by their boiling points
Distillation
- Vapor pressure-temperature curves
- Azeotropes
- Simple and fractional distillations
- Biosynthesis of ethanol
Extraction and Sublimation
- Distribution of coefficients
- Extraction of caffeine from tea
- Sublimation of caffeine
Thin Layer Chromatography
- Rf values
- A study of analgesics and caffeine by TLC
- Analysis of plan pigments by TLC
Column Chromatography
- Absorbents and solvents: polarity
- Ferrocene and acetylferrocene